Thursday, March 29, 2018

Youth Doesn't Matter at Augusta

“Tiger Woods has returned and far surpassed anyone’s loft (sic) expectations. It is exciting for the game, indisputable. At the same time, almost all of the best players in the world have seen their games rise to a healthy level. I’ve been doing this 33 years, it’s always highly anticipated, but this might be the most anticipated Masters any of us has seen in our lifetime.”

I can't deny that having both Mickelson (age 47) and Woods (age 42) back in the mix going into Augusta is interesting. It would certainly be a tremendous story to see one or both of these players within 5-strokes of the lead on Sunday morning. Even in the era of a "Tiger Proofed" Augusta National, the tournament has a habit of seeing veteran players rise to the occasion. Over the last 50 years, the average Masters champion's age is around 32 years old.

How old are the top 10 players in the world right now?

There's no reason that one of the younger players can't break through at Augusta. History also shows that it's possible to win in your 40's. But that's quite a group of quality players in the prime of their careers. Jim Nantz may just be on to something. This is one of the best fields to play for the Masters in a generation. I can't wait.